Using MRD to guide CLL treatment intensity, donor NK cells boost immune reconstitution after haplo-BMT, and EZH2 drives retinoic acid resistance in variant APL

In this week’s episode we discuss encouraging results of a phase 2 study using a sequential ibrutinib-venetoclax treatment approach driven by MRD findings in individual patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL. Next, we examine new research demonstrating that donor natural killer cells trigger release of beta-2 microglobulin by host dendritic cells, greatly accelerating donor-derived immune reconstitution after allogeneic bone marrow transplant in mice. We’ll look at the therapeutic implications of this as well. Lastly, we review a study of retinoic acid resistance in a mouse model of variant acute promyelocytic leukemia. Resistance was driven by the epigenetic regulator EZH2, which suggests the potential for an EZH2-targeted therapeutic approach.